What Are The Safest Cars For 2017?

In that case, a little history on how certain models have performed in crash tests won’t hurt, and this is precisely where the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) comes in. Since 2006, their annual Top Safety Picks have helped consumers identify wheels with the most worthy track records.

In fact, IIHS has been riding shotgun on car safety research for decades. They started rating vehicles in 1995, child booster seats in 2008, LATCH child-seat installations in 2015 and headlights in 2016. Now they’re focusing on passenger-side protection.

See all of 2017’s Top Safety Picks—and read on for the IIHS’ guidance on how to narrow your choices for a safer car.

What The Ratings Mean

The safety ratings from IIHS cover between 130 to 160 of the best-selling new models. The effort required to keep these up to date requires conducting 80 to 100 crashtests, as well as tests of dozens of headlight options and front crash prevention systems every year. Cars that the group rates as “Top Safety Picks” earn solid marks in both categories. A “good” rating for front “moderate overlap” protection lowers the odds of being killed in a crash by 40 percent compared with a “poor” rating. Meanwhile, a “good” rating in side-crash protection cuts that risk by 70 percent.

“By giving consumers information about which cars are safer, the ratings provide incentives for the automakers to make their products safer,” says David Zuby, IIHS executive vice president and chief research officer. What’s more, Zuby says, carmakers’ fears of earning poor ratings have encouraged them to speed improvements to market.

How IIHS Findings Can Help You

If you’re shopping for a new set of wheels, three steps can make it easier:

Remember: Larger equals safer. In general, larger, heavier vehicles usually offer more protection than smaller, lighter ones. “If safety in a crash is important,” Zuby says, “consider a big car rather than a small car.”

Be picky with pre-owned. If you can’t find ratings for a specific used car, look at high-rated models from around the same year and broaden your search to include those.

Protection on the road doesn’t have to be expensive. See how much you could save with a fast, free quote for auto insurance from GEICO.

PERSONALLY THE CARS THAT ARE MOSTLY BEING BUILT FROM THE GOOD OLD CARS AREN’T AS SAFE AS THEY USE TO BE. CHEAP GRADE METAL IS IN NEWEST AUTOMOBILES & PLASTIC. YES THE NEWEST VECHICLES ARE LOADED WITH AIRBAGS THAT MAY NOT POSSIBLE WORK ON LOTS VECHICLES. MY TOP PRIORITY IS BEING EXTRA CAREFUL EVEN IF THE VECHICLES ARE LOADED WITH AIRBAGS . ALL ACCIDENTS CAN’T BE AVOIDED, SO THE DRIVER IS IN A PILOT SEAT THAT HAS TO DO THE BEST KNOWLEDGE POSSIBLE. A GENERAL MOTORS VECHICLES IS MY PICK OF ALL.GMC TRUCK, SUV’ S ARE A GOOD OPTION BUT EVER ONE HAS THERE OWN OPINION. YOU NEVER CAN BE TO SAFE NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE IN ON THE ROADS & HIGHWAYS TODAY. HEADLIGHTS SHOULD BE INFORCED IN ALL STATES WHEN IT’S RAINING! EVEN IF THE SUN IS SHINING. MISS.& ALABAMA IS THE WORSE STATE FOR DRIVING WITHOUT LIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS, IF THE CAR DOESN’T READ YOUR MIND OR WEATHER CONDITIONS PEOPLE WANT KNOWLEDGE TO USE THE CORRECT OPERATION OF THE VECHICLES. THESE AUTOMOBILES THAT BRAKE ON BY ANOTHER VECHICLES TO CLOSE OR PULLS OUT IN FRONT OF YOU IS THE WORSE AUTOMATICALLY THING THAT COULD EVER BE PUT ON ANY VECHICLES. EXAMPLES, SAY A PAPER BAG OR BOX OR ANYTHING ELSE IS IN THE ROADS THAT FLY OUT OF BACK OF SOMEONE’S TRUCK YOU DO NOT WANT TO STOP SUDDENLY. YOU MAY CHECK UP TO SEE IF YOU COULD CHANGES LANES INSTEAD OF A PILE UP.A VECHICLE THAT PARKS IT SELF WITHOUT YOUR HANDS IS BEYOND TO MUCH TECHNOLOGY. I LIKE TO SEE ALL STATES KEEP INSPECTION STICKERS ON THE AUTOMOBILE. LA. MISS, ALABAMA HAS NO INSPECTION ANY MORE. AL., MISS, HAS NO LONGER HAVE INSPECTION STICKERS. MY ANSWER IS DRIVE WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE, BUT USE THE CORRECT OPERATION OF ANY VECHICLES. DRIVE SAFE WITH BOTH HANDS ON STEERING WHEEL. MR. KENNEDY.